Okay. I watched the movie yesterday night, and I was surprised. Shocked, actually. My brother has wanted to watch it for some time now, and he told me he heard from a friend it was really good. He's in Peru now, so, needless to say, he didn't get to watch it.
I was expecting some sort of stupid movie full of college humor (i.e, lots of drinking, sexual inuendo, fart sounds, etc.), and it was, but, to my surprise, it really resonated with me. It actually seemed rather poignant.
Definently the most poignant movie in the genre, that I've seen. Not because it's necessarily really brilliant, but because every other 'poignant' movie in screwball comedy has been horribly bad... Think of 'American Dreamz'.
Don't get me wrong. I didn't think it was especially clever, and the writers had no sense of being subtle, but it works because the people that would come and watch the movie would not necesarrily be the ones watching a satire.
For those of you who have not seen the movie, and are really out of your depth, I'll explain myself. The movie was about a character who didn't get accepted into any colleges, so he created his own fake college, fully equipped with a website to fool his parents into believing it was 'real'. The problem comes when a bunch of other kids find the website and get an 'acceptance' letter. Anyway, the reason it's poignant was just because it went to show all of the undue emphasis we put on college in today's society. And also the emphasis we put on 'good 'colleges. The ones with the highest rejection rates. I'm sure there are other movies and books that went to illustrate this concept better than this movie, but I thought considering the type of movie this is, it was actually good. Better than good.
Am I giving the movie too much credit?
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Nope, great film for the reasons you mention.
Posted by krynn (Member # 524) on :
i had the same feeling after i watched it. are u by chance a college student? maybe one who feels like he hasnt tried his best or has slacked off in some way?
humor is a great way to get these messages across and i think this guy is a great actor for those parts. his movie Waiting wasa another movie that i thought was really funny, but hit a strong chord with me because i could relate to the main character so much.
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
I'm still in highschool, and I'll depend on a full scholarship... So I'm working my butt off to get into a 'good' school. Anyway, yeah. I stress out all the time, even though there's always Berea... Berea is a working college, where everybody gets 100% full tuition covered. But, you work 14 hours a week, in addition to your classes. It's a wonderful college, but I have trouble getting past the 'good' college mentality. I want to go to a 'real' college.
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
Actually, I'm depending on scholarships, and grants, and work study. Not just a full tuition scholarship (Although that seems much more convininet. Less math.)
I just don't want to be in debt for the rest of my life.
Sorry about replying twice... It just takes so much longer to use the edit button. <Sigh>
Posted by krynn (Member # 524) on :
Good luck with all that nathan. im sure the hard work will pay off.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
It was okay. Not as atrocious as I thought it'd be.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
When I finished the movie, I felt like I should have got more out of it. I had a feeling that I had missed something, but then when I though about it, I couldn't think of anything profound in the movie at all.
However, it did make me laugh.
Posted by LargeTuna (Member # 10512) on :
the movie made it seem easier to pay for college than get in, but for most it is the other way around. there are plenty of state colleges that are good that many can get in if they live in the state.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nathan2006: It's a wonderful college, but I have trouble getting past the 'good' college mentality. I want to go to a 'real' college.
It looks like it has a lot to offer. And the no-tuition deal is like nothing else I've seen!
I would be a bit concerned about the clear slant of some of the courses. Evolution, rather than being an included topic as part of genetics, cell biology, etc. is a separate, final "capstone" course? That smells of "before we allow you to graduate, one last chance to indoctrinate you" to me. And the course description does not disabuse me of that notion:
quote:A study of the processes, concepts, and philosophical implications of the modern theory of biological evolution. Topics range from chemical evolution and the origin of life to macroevolutionary trends in adaptive radiation and extinction. Examples from various taxa are employed to examine concepts such as species and speciation, evolutionary rates, and the role of chance events in the evolutionary process. Evolutionary theory is examined in relation to its ability to explain biological complexity and structural anomalies in various taxa including humans.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by LargeTuna: there are plenty of state colleges that are good that many can get in if they live in the state.
The better state colleges, by and large, are at least as hard to get into as the better private schools.
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
I know several 'better' private colleges that are actually easier to get into than big state schools.
There's one private school that, if you met certain criteria, you could get full tuition, room, and board, all free. At one state school, meeting the same criteria, you'd just get full tuition... And the private school has got the reputation for being a party school.
The state school just has a hideous campus. Asphalt, everywhere. <Shudders>
***Edited for incorrect pronoun use***
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nathan2006: I know several 'better' private colleges that are actually easier to get into than big state schools.
Yup. Hence "at least as hard to get into."
quote:Originally posted by Nathan2006: There's one private school that, if you met certain criteria, you could get full tuition, room, and board, all free. At one state school, meeting the same criteria, you'd just get full tuition...
That has nothing to do with how hard it is to get in. Almost all colleges have admission that is "need blind" -- but very few full-tuition scholarships are. There are some which are merit-based only, but not many. And the majority of the ones that do exist are at state schools.
[ June 07, 2007, 11:36 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
Oh. Whoops. Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I loathed this film. It's "uplifting" messages were all hollow, false, snide, and sniggering.
I walked out of it a third of the way through and felt no remorse.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I don't see how this:
quote:I walked out of it a third of the way through and felt no remorse.
makes you qualified to say this:
quote:It's "uplifting" messages were all hollow, false, snide, and sniggering.
Just saying...
(Edited to remove the loathing part of the quote--of course you're qualified to have your opinion.)
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Actually, I'm depending on scholarships, and grants, and work study. Not just a full tuition scholarship (Although that seems much more convininet. Less math.)
I know people who earn a very significant portion of their tuition/living expenses in the Summer. It can be done, even without a full scholarship.
EDIT: I should add this is in Canada, so I believe it's cheaper.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
If the movie was urging a move towards the middle by showing the opposite extreme I think it succeded to some extent.
It definately was not as BAD as I anticipated it being.
I did have trouble suspending my belief that the fake college would even run as effectively as it did, I expected an even greater level of dysfunctionality then what was portrayed.
But again, if it was humor by exageration, it accomplished decently in that regard.
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
I pretty much viewed it as humor by exaggeration... There was no subtle humor. The movie was brass, loud, and blunt. I thought it made a fair ammount of sense to have the messege be the same way. Even in being so, it was a lot less preachy than some other movies I've seen... I think part of why I liked it just because I had such low expectations going in to watch it.
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)